Twenty-One is a well known game in which the player and the dealer compete in an attempt to come closest, without going over, the total numerical value of 21. Using a 52 card deck of standard playing cards, the dealer deals alternately two cards to both the player and himself. The value of the cards is determined by their numerical value, with Aces counting 1 or 11 and Kings, Queens and Jacks ("Face Cards") counting 10. The player may receive additional cards ("hits") from the dealer in an attempt to obtain a hand having a value of 21. The player may stop receiving cards at any time, but if the player's hand has a value in excess of 21 the player automatically loses ("busts"). The dealer then is dealt additional cards until the value of the dealer's hand is at least 17. Whoever between the player and the dealer has the closest to 21 without going over wins the hand. If the player and the dealer end up with the same numerical value, a tie hand ("push") results.
In the casino version of Twenty-One, a winning player receives one-to-one odds on the amount of his bet. In the event of a push, the player retains his bet. If the player's first two cards total 21 (an Ace and a Face Card or 10), the player typically receives 3-to-2 odds on his bet (unless the hand is a push). Other variations to Twenty-One are also well known, such a doubling down, splitting pairs and taking insurance. In conventional Twenty-One, the various suits (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs) have no significance.
Poker is also a well known game utilizing a standard deck of playing cards. Poker is played in a myriad of variations such as Draw Poker and Stud Poker. In Poker, various combinations of cards have significance, based on both the numerical value of the cards and the suits. The basic object of Poker is for the player to achieve a five card hand having a higher Poker rank than the hands held by the player's opponents. The basic priority or rank order of winning poker hands is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and High Card(s) in Hand.
It is also been known to utilize wild cards in the game of Poker. Typically one or more types of cards from the standard playing deck are designated as wild cards, such as deuces or one-eyed Jacks. It is also known to add an extra card or cards to the deck as wild cards and these extra cards are conventionally referred to as Jokers.
It is an object of the present invention to design a new card game that combines the best features of Twenty-One and Poker.
It is a feature of the present invention to utilize a standard deck of playing cards with two extra Joker cards and to designate a new ranking criterion based on combinations of three card hands.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a new and exciting, yet easy to learn, card game has been created combining the best features of Twenty-One and Poker.